Competition Brief
Calling all C•CAP students! Beyond Cooking: The Ann B. Zekauskas Food Styling Competition for C•CAP is back and now open for entries.
This year our subject is PIES and all their cultural iterations. Think beyond dessert—your pie could be savory or sweet, handheld or sliced. Empanadas, burek, pastel de nata, tourtière, samosas, hand pies, pot pies, quiches…the list goes on! Come up with your own original, unpublished pie recipe and submit three styled photos along with a caption. Four winners will receive cash prizes to use for any expense:
1st Place: $2,000
2nd Place: $1,500
3rd Place: $1,000
People’s Choice: $500
Get creative with your recipe and food styling to reflect your personality, family, culture, and style.
Your entry will be judged on:
1. The styling and photography of the dish.
2. The recipe and photos must be original, unpublished, and non AI-generated. Failure to comply will result in disqualification. Upload one photo of your mise en place/set-up. This photo is only to verify the authenticity of your competition submission and will not be included in the judging of the competition. You must submit this photo to qualify for the competition.
3. Your caption: tell us why this recipe and these photos reflect who you are. Explain what’s in the pie, what type of dough you’ve used, and the techniques used to make it. The caption must include your pie’s name; the two competition hashtags: #CCAPFoodStyling #ABZFF; and the two competition handles: @culinarycareersprogram @zekauskasfamily
Special thanks to the Ann B. Zekauskas Family Foundation (@zekasukasfamily) for sponsoring the video series and competition.
Submit your entry by Monday, March 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST. Winners will be announced on March 10, 2026 on @CulinaryCareerProgram’s Instagram. For tutorials and inspiration, visit CulinaryCareers.org/Resources. Have more questions? Ask your culinary arts instructor or C•CAP.
Submission Guidelines
1. Please limit your entry to one pie recipe.
2. Upload the three photos and the caption to the Competition Survey Monkey form.
3. You MUST fill out the entirety of the form or your entry will be disqualified.
4. We encourage you to post the three styled photos along with a caption on Instagram, but it is not required. Remember, in order to be considered for the competition, you must fill out the Competition Form. Instagram-only submissions alone are incomplete.
5. Use of AI tools such as ChatGPT for the creation of your photos and caption are forbidden
